Where does “cuckoo” come from?

Cuckoo comes from Middle English cokkou, from Old French cucu, from Latin cuculus, a word of imitative origin denoting the bird.

cuckoo (English): Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae,...

Definitions

  1. Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae,...

Ancestry of “cuckoo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishcokkouThe cuckoo; The sound a cuckoo makes
2Old Frenchcucucuckoo
3Latincuculuscuckoo; a term of reproach

Words derived from “cuckoo

Every word from Latin cuculus